They must feel pretty happy btw there in Madrid after the last few disastrous years...(No good players participating :D)

Clara Bow

10-15-2006, 11:03 AM

Well- Rafa has Berdych and Roddick in his quarter- so he has his work cut out for him to reach the semis. The other quarter on his side is pretty loaded too - with Ljubicic, Djokovic, Gasquet, Jarkko (who will be fresh off of a final), etc. Hopefully if he does make it to the semis or finals- there won't be talk about "cupcake" draws. :)

canbera

10-15-2006, 11:04 AM

tough draw for Tommy Haas.

RonE

10-15-2006, 11:04 AM

Try this link:

http://www.menstennisforums.com/showthread.php?t=88202

Jaffas85

10-15-2006, 11:04 AM

Hopefully we're going to see a Roddick Vs. Nadal QF.

Gasquet has a tough draw.

Hopefully Andy Murray can defeat Ljubicic in the second round.

Rogiman

10-15-2006, 11:05 AM

Are you telling me you're actually seeing the draw?

All I see is "Tournament Information Not Yet Available" :mad:

adee-gee

10-15-2006, 11:05 AM

Horrible draw.

Norrage

10-15-2006, 11:06 AM

Could well be Nadal vs Malisse;Haas;Berdych/Roddick;Ljubicic;Federer...
If he wins this one then he'll prove himself!:)

RonE

10-15-2006, 11:06 AM

Well- Rafa has Berdych and Roddick in his quarter- so he has his work cut out for him to reach the semis. Which as it should be, so hopefully if he does make it to the semis or finals- there won't be talk about "cupcake" draws. :)

Blake, Safin, Nalbandian and Tursunov are all on the other side of the draw :p

Solid_Snake

10-15-2006, 11:06 AM

Federer is gonna win this.

Nadal will lose to Roddick in the QF.

adee-gee

10-15-2006, 11:07 AM

Gaudio vs Massu could be a classic indoors :p

yanchr

10-15-2006, 11:07 AM

A relatively balanced draw for the seeds, with the 2nd and 3rd quarter a bit stronger than the 1st and 4th...

Gasquet has a tough draw, as always...

Naranoc

10-15-2006, 11:08 AM

Wow... Uncle Toni must have been arrested at the airport or something. Difficult draw for Nadal, though he still doesn't have Nalbandian in his half. Damn.

Fed-Express

10-15-2006, 11:09 AM

nice :lol:

Rogiman

10-15-2006, 11:09 AM

Horrible draw.
Why?
Because for once El Chancho doesn't enjoy a clear path to the final?

It's alright, he'll have Roddick and Berdych battling it out between them for the right to send his big ass to Mallorca ;)

Clara Bow

10-15-2006, 11:10 AM

Blake, Safin, Nalbandian and Tursunov are all on the other side of the draw :p

I guess some folks will never be satisfied. :p Seriously- with the Berdman, Andy, Ivan, etc. in his half- Nadal does has his work cut out for him. This will be a good time to prove himself if he does get to the final.

Sunset of Age

10-15-2006, 11:10 AM

Well, all I can say is that if Nadal survives this draw, he's really back on track!
(and I'd like to see that, obviously)

Roddick will be a tough hurdle to take for him...

yanchr

10-15-2006, 11:10 AM

Difficult draw for Nadal, though he still doesn't have Nalbandian in his half. Damn.
This has become tricky to me...I mean, Nalbandian as either the 3rd or 4th seed, has been with Roger in every single important tournament...

adee-gee

10-15-2006, 11:10 AM

Why?
Because for once El Chancho doesn't enjoy a clear path to the final?

It's alright, he'll have Roddick and Berdych battling it out between them for the right to send his big ass to Mallorca ;)
F-Lo is taking out Fed in the QF :rocker2:

Andre♥

10-15-2006, 11:12 AM

F-Lo is taking out Fed in the QF :rocker2:

Ginepri will rip Feli a new one... :p

Clara Bow

10-15-2006, 11:16 AM

This has become tricky to me...I mean, Nalbandian as either the 3rd or 4th seed, has been with Roger in every single important tournament...

I don't think Roger will have any problem with David. Outside of Davis Cup- Nalby has not looked good in competition since his ab injury at the FO. I don't think there is a grand conspiracy to keep Nalby always in Federer's draw and prevent him from playing Nadal or others. :) Frankly- I don't see David making it out of his quarter.

Ivan's quarter has four finalists from this week- Gonzolaz, Davydenko and Jarkko. Jarkko is the only one without a bye. Blake and Safin - the other two finalists- are in the same quarter and could meet in a 4th round match.

Potential second round match of James and Tursunov could be very intresting.

fanancic

10-15-2006, 11:19 AM

hard draw for mario!

Horatio Caine

10-15-2006, 11:19 AM

Hmmmm....Henman could be a dark horse this week. Nando, Ferrer and Bandy aren't unbeatable :shrug: Then it would come down to Blake / Baggy / Safin....again, not unbeatable. Hopefully will be a good week for him :yeah:

Murray gets a rough draw again...although I think he would have chances against 1-dimensional Ljubo in R2. Ljubo has a very rough draw there :tape:

Naranoc

10-15-2006, 11:20 AM

Loads of interesting match ups for Nadal though - the 'young guns' e.g. Berdych, Murray, Gasquet, Djokovic all in with possibility of playing him.

Horatio Caine

10-15-2006, 11:20 AM

hard draw for mario!

You call an almost guaranteed QF place a hard draw?

Andre♥

10-15-2006, 11:20 AM

Hmmmm....Henman could be a dark horse this week. Nando, Ferrer and Bandy aren't unbeatable :shrug: Then it would come down to Blake / Baggy / Safin....again, not unbeatable. Hopefully will be a good week for him :yeah:

Murray gets a rough draw again...although I think he would have chances against 1-dimensional Ljubo in R2. Ljubo has a very rough draw there :tape:

Isn't Verdasco Henman's favourite bitch? :p

Horatio Caine

10-15-2006, 11:20 AM

Ginepri will rip Feli a new one... :p

I'm not so sure he will actually...Feli has a chance in this one :shrug:

yanchr

10-15-2006, 11:21 AM

I don't think Roger will have any problem with David. Outside of Davis Cup- Nalby has not looked good in competition since his abdominable injury at the FO. I don't think there is a grand conspiracy to keep Nalby always in Federer's draw and prevent him from playing Nadal.

Ivan's quarter has four finalists from this week- Gonzolaz, Davydenko and Jarkko. Jarkko is the only one without a bye. Blake and Safin - the other two finalists- are in the same quarter and could meet in a 4th round match.
Nah, I'm not saying there's any conspriracy with Nalby always falling in Roger's half. I just want to see Nalby and Nadal play each other...and maybe Safin

:lol: The only time they met was when Henman was practically begging for a walking stick so he could move...Nando isn't in great form right now and Henman has good record vs lefties ;)

I thought Henman had defeated Nando this year. But Nando has nothing to hurt Henman in indoors.

About Ginepri, he must be thinking this tournament is in the States. He has good results in here, including a semi final last year!

Clara Bow

10-15-2006, 11:26 AM

I just want to see Nalby and Nadal play each other...and maybe Safin

I would like for them to play at some point as well.

Andre♥

10-15-2006, 11:27 AM

I would like for them to play at some point as well.

Nadal and Nalbandian will probably play each other for the first time in Shanghai.

Clara Bow

10-15-2006, 11:29 AM

Nadal and Nalbandian will probably play each other for the first time in Shanghai.

I hope that when they do play both are "on" as I would most enjoy a match where they were both playing up to their abilities.

NeverSayDie

10-15-2006, 11:31 AM

I dont like this draw :sobbing:

stebs

10-15-2006, 11:32 AM

Of course there will be some upsets and this won't happen but this would be a possible R16 line up. Looks like a pretty fair and good draw to me, fairly balanced quarters. It will never be completely fair but no-one has a cakewalk.

Probably top is just about the easiest quarter with Federer and Ancic the best two players on this surface, would be a sizable upset if those two didn't meet in a quarter final.

Second quarter is more tricky, possible Baghdatis - Safin 2nd round match is tough to call but I would favour Marat to win indoors. Nalbandian has a fairly simple path to the quarters in comparison to other big seeds. Blake - Safin or Blake - Baghdatis would be a very high quality R16 match up.

Third quarter is interesting, Davydenko could easily be taken out by Johansson but we shouldn't get carried away, he is just back from injury. However I would favour him to reach R16 before succumbing to Gonzalez who should meet Ljubicic in the quarters to repeat their match today.

Very tough bottom quarter with Rafa at home, Roddick back on form, Haas still dangerous and Berdych extremely dangerous indoors with his serve and strokes. Very tough to say who will come out of that one but I'd say it will be Rafa in the quarters against Roddick with that match being a 50-50.

Exactly, Clara - I'd have liked to see them playing earlier in the year. Both of them suck right now.

Nadal may not even survive Haas and I'd be very surprised to see him go past Roddick/ Berdych.

Rogiman

10-15-2006, 11:35 AM

Stebs, don't overrate Baghdatis, he hasn't done anything to write home about lately.

Rogiman

10-15-2006, 11:37 AM

Nadal may not even survive Haas and I'd be very surprised to see him go past Roddick/ Berdych.Everyone survives Haas these days and Nadal will be no exception, but his following match will be his last.

Horatio Caine

10-15-2006, 11:38 AM

Stebs, don't overrate Baghdatis, he hasn't done anything to write home about lately.

Neither has Nalbandian :shrug:

adee-gee

10-15-2006, 11:39 AM

Murray gets a rough draw again...although I think he would have chances against 1-dimensional Ljubo in R2. Ljubo has a very rough draw there :tape:
If Murray can serve well he'd take out Ljubicic.

Rogiman

10-15-2006, 11:41 AM

Neither has Nalbandian :shrug:Yeah but I wouldn't call a match between Safin and Baghdatis or Blake and Baghdatis a "high quality match" indoors, when it's crystal clear Baghdatis in his current form and on the particular surface is by far the inferior player.

Horatio Caine

10-15-2006, 11:41 AM

If Murray can serve well he'd take out Ljubicic.

Yep...I agree. I also feel that Henman could reach the QF/SF this week if he plays well.

adee-gee

10-15-2006, 11:43 AM

Yep...I agree. I also feel that Henman could reach the QF/SF this week if he plays well.
Possibly, but he could just as easily lose to Nando in R1. If he gets past him he's got a chance.

Yappa

10-15-2006, 11:47 AM

Nadal may not even survive Haas and I'd be very surprised to see him go past Roddick/ Berdych.

Haas wont survive Hrbaty. :sad:

Lullaby

10-15-2006, 11:50 AM

If Murray can serve well he'd take out Ljubicic.

He will need to win the 1st match in order to get the chance - Not an easy task with recent results :o I hope he doesnt get youzny!

Fed-Express

10-15-2006, 11:51 AM

Murray taking out Ljubicic? The guy that has a 15-2 record indoors this year and reached the final last year? That is crap.
Only chance for Muzza if Ljubi plays 5 exhausting sets against Gonzo today.

Norrage

10-15-2006, 12:04 PM

Murray wont take out Ljubo..I guess Ljubo is favorite for the title after Fed.

Jaap

10-15-2006, 12:05 PM

Should Murray get past the qualifier which will be no formality considering how strong that field is, then he will have a chance against Ljubo. He was a set and a break up against him on a faster indoor court in Zagreb earlier in the year so on the slower Madrid courts, he might have a better chance.

jcadam2003

10-15-2006, 12:05 PM

Everyone survives Haas these days and Nadal will be no exception, but his following match will be his last.

why is everybody so negative about Nadal's chances? Don't forget that he is the defending champion and knows how to win here. The tournament is held in Spain and the home crowd is going to be a tremendous advantage for Nadal just like it was last year. He has won every match that he has played in spain the last 18 months. Bring on Roddick!! Nadal will handle him! Roddick is not the same player during European tournaments than he during US tournaments. Roddick gets easily agitated when his surroundings are not ideal (complaining about the lighting of the indoor court, the officiating, etc.). Like in Sevilla 2004, when the crowd is so vocal in supporting his opponent, it affects Roddick more than it affects players like Nadal or Federer.

I can't wait for the tournament to begin!!!

adee-gee

10-15-2006, 12:07 PM

Murray wont take out Ljubo..I guess Ljubo is favorite for the title after Fed.
:lol: Ljubicic doesn't do big tournaments.

Alexiana

10-15-2006, 12:08 PM

Haas wont survive Hrbaty. :sad:

I think that too:rolleyes:

Jaffas85

10-15-2006, 12:29 PM

I think the semis will be as follows:

Federer Vs. Blake

Roddick Vs. Gasquet.

BTW, Just how different are playing conditions on indoor hardcourts to outdoor?

The court is faster right thus favours the big servers?

Xristos

10-15-2006, 12:48 PM

Ginepri will rip Feli a new one... :p

No and I like Ginepri.
Feli has a chance to go deep...

Byrd

10-15-2006, 12:48 PM

why is everybody so negative about Nadal's chances? !!!

Mainly because at the moment Nadal can't win a match on hardcourt if it was given to him on a plate. Also take into consideration that he has a really hard draw of malisse,haas,roddick/berdych,Ljubicic and Federer.

Sunset of Age

10-15-2006, 12:51 PM

Mainly because at the moment Nadal can't win a match on hardcourt if it was given to him on a plate. Also take into consideration that he has a really hard draw of malisse,haas,roddick/berdych,Ljubicic and Federer.

It's most definitely no cakewalk for Rafa this time. I'm looking forward to see how far he gets. If he manages to reach the SF that should be very good.

Guybrush

10-15-2006, 12:54 PM

Hopefully Andy Murray can defeat Ljubicic in the second round.

Just dream. :wavey:

Jaffas85

10-15-2006, 01:00 PM

I would find it amusing if Malisse defeated Nadal.

Nadal's ranking points would fall to around 4100.

DrJules

10-15-2006, 01:00 PM

Horrible draw.

Probability indicated that it was going to happen sometime to Nadal.

Rogiman

10-15-2006, 01:02 PM

Probability indicated that it was going to happen sometime to Nadal.And it's not like his draw is anything out of the ordinary.

cherry@cupcake

10-15-2006, 01:08 PM

Muzza :mad: He needs Uncle Toni on side and fast.

As for Nadal, he needs to find some of his summer magic else Madrid is going to be a major disappointment.

This draw is quite balanced. Nadal doesn't have the "horrible draw", it's just that people are used on his cup-cake draws so this normal draw looks horrible. Draws realy matter only on grand-slams anyway

DrJules

10-15-2006, 01:12 PM

And it's not like his draw is anything out of the ordinary.

Roddick in the quarter final at altitude on an indoor hard court against Nadal.:lick: :lick: :lick: Only Blake could have been a worst quarter final opponent.

Roddick may be doing the roasting this week..

El Legenda

10-15-2006, 01:15 PM

i like Murrays chances

of going home after he's 2nd match

cherry@cupcake

10-15-2006, 01:22 PM

i like Murrays chances of going home after he's 2nd match

:sad: Unfortunately, I have to agree. Dang it.

Jimnik

10-15-2006, 01:40 PM

If Murray can serve well he'd take out Ljubicic.
Mate, are you watching this Vienna final?

Even if Murray makes it past his 1st round (and I have my doubts) I think it would take one hell of a performance to beat Ljubo, on this form.

stebs

10-15-2006, 01:41 PM

Stebs, don't overrate Baghdatis, he hasn't done anything to write home about lately.

I'm not am I? I picked Safin to be in his spot in the R16. I'm picking him to lose in the first match he plays. I wouldn't call that overrating him. Anyway, he did win China in his last but one tournament and although he lost early last week he was clearly not in shape.

stebs

10-15-2006, 01:43 PM

Mate, are you watching this Vienna final?

Even if Murray makes it past his 1st round (and I have my doubts) I really don't see anyone hurting Ljubo, in his section.

Agreed, Ljubicic is the best in the world indoors bar only Federer. Federer could hang with him I'm sure and if it came to the crunch Ivan would probably choke but with no pressure Ivan can play every bit as well as Federer, or anyone, can indoors.

disturb3d

10-15-2006, 01:47 PM

Agreed, Ljubicic is the best in the world indoors bar only Federer. Federer could hang with him I'm sure and if it came to the crunch Ivan would probably choke but with no pressure Ivan can play every bit as well as Federer, or anyone, can indoors.Are you sure Federer could rally with Ivan....
I mean, Ivan's got no athletic prowess, and a joke of a forehand. Surely The Fed would have difficulty.

Stebs. You're making yourself sound like biased trash. Which you prolly are.

stebs

10-15-2006, 01:52 PM

Are you sure Federer could rally with Ivan....
I mean, Ivan's got no athletic prowess, and a joke of a forehand. Surely The Fed would have difficulty.

Stebs. You're making yourself sound like biased trash. Which you prolly are.

Yes, I probably am but that's life eh? I can't help who I support. For your information I am actually a Federer fan anyway and I have no love for Ljubicic. :p

Okay, so maybe you disagree but having watched Ivan playing throughout this week and last year on indoor surface I think if he played his best he could be as good as anyone on this surface. His biggest obstacle is his own extraordinary ability to lose big matches.

Oh, and as for the forehand. Well, he seems to be able to go forehand to forehand with Gonzo all right and his forehand is far from a joke.

artlinkletter

10-15-2006, 01:54 PM

I have a question. How did Joachim Johansson make it into the main draw? I don't see a WC by his name nor is he a qualifier.

stebs

10-15-2006, 01:56 PM

I have a question. How did Joachim Johansson make it into the main draw? I don't see a WC by his name nor is he a qualifier.

Injury protected ranking I assume.

jtipson

10-15-2006, 01:56 PM

JJ is using his protected ranking to get in, as is Safin.

Jaffas85

10-15-2006, 01:57 PM

I have a question. How did Joachim Johansson make it into the main draw? I don't see a WC by his name nor is he a qualifier.

Protected Ranking.

artlinkletter

10-15-2006, 01:58 PM

Injury protected ranking I assume.

Oh, the option I didn't consider. Thanks---to the people who answered below you as well.

Xristos

10-15-2006, 01:58 PM

Why no WC for Marat??

stebs

10-15-2006, 01:58 PM

I think the semis will be as follows:

Federer Vs. Blake

Roddick Vs. Gasquet.

BTW, Just how different are playing conditions on indoor hardcourts to outdoor?

The court is faster right thus favours the big servers?

Yes, courts are faster indoors. However, as indoor courts go Madrid isn't the fastest around. Still, it will favour guys with bigger serves.

mangoes

10-15-2006, 02:00 PM

Fairly balanced draw :D

disturb3d

10-15-2006, 02:15 PM

Yes, I probably am but that's life eh? I can't help who I support. For your information I am actually a Federer fan anyway and I have no love for Ljubicic. :p

Okay, so maybe you disagree but having watched Ivan playing throughout this week and last year on indoor surface I think if he played his best he could be as good as anyone on this surface. His biggest obstacle is his own extraordinary ability to lose big matches.

Oh, and as for the forehand. Well, he seems to be able to go forehand to forehand with Gonzo all right and his forehand is far from a joke.Any player at national level could rally forehands with Gonzo.
The only time the Gonzalez forehand is dangerous is when he has 2 years to line it up. And not even the utterly crap Roddick will give him that luxury.

A good test of a player's ability to hit forehands is to pit them against Nadal. Who will show you every angle, depth and spin. while pressuring you to paint the lines.

The facts are, Ivan has a horribly unatheltic build and movement style, which shows in his preparation for the forehand. Especially important against Nadal.
Watch him continuosly try to hit attacking forehands across his body with an open stance. He doesn't make a single forehand winner against Nadal.

He will never be a "good" player.
There are far too many pieces missing from the puzzle to earn him compliments from important figures.

He's made the most of his height and camps quietly on the backhand side.
The reason he "finds a way to lose matches" is because he's a player who throws everything he has at his opponent at the get go.
Once the rhythm for returning serve has sinked into his opponent, he has no choice but to pray that he doesn't have to hit a forehand for the remainder of the match.

bad gambler

10-15-2006, 02:26 PM

Blake and Federer look good things for a SF clash

Jimnik

10-15-2006, 02:47 PM

Loads of interesting clashes in the early rounds. The last 16 could be

there's no way murray could take ljubicic out in 2nd round
ljubicic played great the whole week in vienna!
just too good

Foosimoo

10-15-2006, 03:15 PM

Very tough draw all around! :eek:

Ollie with a hard first round match against Soderling, and then JCF if he wins. :rocker2:

pistolmarat

10-15-2006, 03:15 PM

Rogi has such a tough draw:rolleyes: again:p
Well, some great first round matches to come hopefully:)

tennisgal_001

10-15-2006, 03:15 PM

Damn. Some draw! Players evenly distributed. Can't wait for it to kick-off.
When will the Q slots be filled out?

NATAS81

10-15-2006, 03:17 PM

You better play this one, Joachim.

Q in the first round and Davydenko in round two coming from his Moscow title.

cobalt60

10-15-2006, 03:21 PM

Nice match ups :yeah:

sawan66278

10-15-2006, 03:46 PM

You have to admit, Roger has the easiest draw by far in the tourney...Rafa probably has the toughest section...it will be very interesting to see how he handles the big servers...Roddick vs. Berdych will be interesting...could go either way...

All I can say is: Thank God I have the Tennis Channel this week...have you all seen the coverage listings? Its basically Madrid all the time for the entire week...with live coverage the whole week...This is why in the end, its worth the additional five dollars I have to spend per month to get this channel...for weeks like this!!!:D

ChinoRios4Ever

10-15-2006, 03:47 PM

why nico is jinxing in ALL AMS THIS YEAR????? :mad:

fed is gonna win... again

World Beater

10-15-2006, 03:59 PM

i dont see how nadal has a "tough" draw...i would call it a tms draw...he had to play some of safin, nalbandian, blake, tursunov, roddick,berdman,ljubo.

its not a bad draw to play one of roddick/berd and then ljubo to reach the final.

if he had to play one of tursunov, safin, blake as well. then i would call it a tough draw. but its a regular tms draw, and all tms draws are not easy. at the same time i dont know if haas or malisse really believe they can beat nadal. this is a real tms draw, not the joke that were last years draws.

World Beater

10-15-2006, 04:01 PM

You have to admit, Roger has the easiest draw by far in the tourney...Rafa probably has the toughest section...it will be very interesting to see how he handles the big servers...Roddick vs. Berdych will be interesting...could go either way...

All I can say is: Thank God I have the Tennis Channel this week...have you all seen the coverage listings? Its basically Madrid all the time for the entire week...with live coverage the whole week...This is why in the end, its worth the additional five dollars I have to spend per month to get this channel...for weeks like this!!!:D

its a moot point to say whether roger has a tough draw or not...since he seems to only have big problems with rafa. switch both draws, and im not sure the draw would be any easier for rafa.

Monteque

10-15-2006, 04:07 PM

FINALLY, Rafa and Roger get a fair draw. I think Rafa has a bit chance to reach the final. Either ARod or Berdych potential to be the breakneck players to him.

For Roger, i think whatever kind of the draw still looks easy for him.

neenah

10-15-2006, 04:07 PM

The draw has potential for lots of exciting matches.. But any Masters draw does. The same applies for easy or hard draws.. Just about any position in the draw is a hard position, although comparisons can be made.

njnetswill

10-15-2006, 04:50 PM

Nalbandian's quarter is by far the easiest.

amierin

10-15-2006, 05:17 PM

Nalbandian's quarter is by far the easiest.

Absolutely.

adee-gee

10-15-2006, 05:21 PM

there's no way murray could take ljubicic out in 2nd round
ljubicic played great the whole week in vienna!
just too good
Different court. Plus Murray is a considerably better returner than anyone Ljubicic played this week. He can break Ljubicic, he proved it last time they met. It's just a matter of whether he can hold his own serve, which is unlikely unless he's sorted his serve out recently.

stebs

10-15-2006, 05:24 PM

Different court. Plus Murray is a considerably better returner than anyone Ljubicic played this week. He can break Ljubicic, he proved it last time they met. It's just a matter of whether he can hold his own serve, which is unlikely unless he's sorted his serve out recently.

If Ivan serves like he did last week Murray cannot break him.

sploush

10-15-2006, 05:31 PM

Haas wont survive Hrbaty. :sad:

It's been 50/50 between Haas and Hrbaty, chances are Haas wins this week.

supersexynadal

10-15-2006, 05:39 PM

This is the first proper draw i see.. All the guys have a tough draw

vincayou

10-15-2006, 05:54 PM

I think that Ljubicic won't enjoy Murray at all

adee-gee

10-15-2006, 05:57 PM

If Ivan serves like he did last week Murray cannot break him.
Murray is one of the best returners in the world, if he plays like he has done the last few weeks he has no chance. If his head is in the right place and he plays like he can, he's got a shot.

stebs

10-15-2006, 05:59 PM

Murray is one of the best returners in the world, if he plays like he has done the last few weeks he has no chance. If his head is in the right place and he plays like he can, he's got a shot.

Murray is one of the best returners in the world. Murray, Davydenko, Federer, Nadal, Hewitt, Nalbandian and Ferrer are the super seven at returning in the world today. However, indoors Murray is a good player, with a good draw he could pick up serious points but Ivan is far too much for him.

chicky841

10-15-2006, 06:05 PM

:help: I dont like this draw.

GlennMirnyi

10-15-2006, 06:07 PM

Ljubicic's pretty much in the SF already. Nadal, if lucky, will get to Berdych or Roddick and the odds of a spanking are high.

Federer will win, downing Blake in the SF, probably.

*Viva Chile*

10-15-2006, 06:10 PM

The most democratic draw I see in years :eek:

Xristos

10-15-2006, 06:10 PM

Ljubicic's pretty much in the SF already. Nadal, if lucky, will get to Berdych or Roddick and the odds of a spanking are high.

Federer will win, downing Blake in the SF, probably.

Nadal will beat Berdych and or Roddick.....

Flibbertigibbet

10-15-2006, 06:17 PM

That's a fun draw, albeit slightly disappointing in the potential Baghdatis-Safin second round match-up. Some of the first rounds should be very interesting - Gasquet-Nieminen, Grosjean-Bjorkman, Soderling-Rochus, Henman-Verdasco, etc.

GlennMirnyi

10-15-2006, 06:24 PM

Nadal will beat Berdych and or Roddick.....

Yeah, right, forehand boy. :rolleyes:

Radek Stepanek

10-15-2006, 07:11 PM

Nadal has the hardest draw.

THANK GOD!

This should shut up Fedtards always saying he has the easiest draw!

jole

10-15-2006, 07:12 PM

Hrmm, another potential Hrbaty vs. Haas second round. :D

Metis

10-15-2006, 07:21 PM

Nadal has the hardest draw.

THANK GOD!

This should shut up Fedtards always saying he has the easiest draw!
One can only hope! But what if instead of Haas, Berdych/Roddick and Ljubicic he ends up playing against Monfils, Calleri and ...Fraile/Navarro Pastor? :p

User id 7816

10-15-2006, 07:26 PM

Murray likes big servers like Ljubo :angel: but indoors it'll be tougher. Andy wont really want to lose serve as often as he does. :tape: otherwise Ljubicic is a good match for him. as long as he doesnt get in one of his crying moods Andy :rolleyes:

not sure I want to see Gaudio-Federer :scared:....nor JCF-Federer for that matter :sad:

Jimnik

10-15-2006, 08:30 PM

Nalbandian's quarter is by far the easiest.
No way. Federer's is the easiest.

Nalbandian, Baghadatis, Blake and Safin are all top hard court players. Ancic, Robredo and Ferrero are all weak indoor players.

Radek Stepanek

10-15-2006, 08:31 PM

One can only hope! But what if instead of Haas, Berdych/Roddick and Ljubicic he ends up playing against Monfils, Calleri and ...Fraile/Navarro Pastor? :pHeh, unlikely, but then again it's good either way. If he does play those guys, he probably will advance, if he doesn't, well he did have the hardest draw :aplot:

Sunset of Age

10-15-2006, 08:33 PM

Nadal has the hardest draw.

THANK GOD!

This should shut up Fedtards always saying he has the easiest draw!

Indeed. :worship:

Sjengster

10-15-2006, 08:35 PM

No way. Federer's is the easiest.

Nalbandian, Baghadatis, Blake and Safin are all top hard court players. Ancic, Robredo and Ferrero are all weak indoor players.

Ancic a weak indoor player.... :confused: OK, his results don't show it as yet but with the strides he made this year on his weakest surface I'd be amazed if he doesn't have good showings on a surface that is ideal for his game.

It would be interesting to see another Federer-Ferrero match-up, Ferrero was the man who beat him here the last time he played, en route to winning the title. Of course the world has performed many turns since then, but it will be an interesting crowd test for Federer and their Dubai encounter last year went right down to the wire.

adee-gee

10-15-2006, 08:38 PM

It would be interesting to see another Federer-Ferrero match-up, Ferrero was the man who beat him here the last time he played, en route to winning the title. Of course the world has performed many turns since then, but it will be an interesting crowd test for Federer and their Dubai encounter last year went right down to the wire.
:haha: Sjeng are you serious? Ferrero would do well to win 4 games :o

Jimnik

10-15-2006, 08:39 PM

Ancic a weak indoor player.... :confused: OK, his results don't show it as yet but with the strides he made this year on his weakest surface I'd be amazed if he doesn't have good showings on a surface that is ideal for his game.
I've been trying to explain this many times already. Ancic is overrated as an indoor player. His results proove it. He's stronger on clay and grass than he is on indoor hard.

Jimnik

10-15-2006, 08:41 PM

:haha: Sjeng are you serious? Ferrero would do well to win 4 games :o
I remember everyone saying exactly the same thing before he played Nadal in Cincinatti.

Sjengster

10-15-2006, 08:43 PM

I remember everyone saying exactly the same thing before he played Nadal in Cincinatti.

They probably said something similar before the Dubai match last year when Ferrero was 98 in the world. And anyway, as I say the crowd could most certainly play a factor, though this isn't Davis Cup and they won't be throwing things at Federer if he faces a Spanish player as some people seem to believe.

Jimnik

10-15-2006, 08:49 PM

They probably said something similar before the Dubai match last year when Ferrero was 98 in the world. And anyway, as I say the crowd could most certainly play a factor, though this isn't Davis Cup and they won't be throwing things at Federer if he faces a Spanish player as some people seem to believe.
Indeed. I don't think the croud will make much of a difference but JCF certainly knows how to play the big guns. He'll probably have more difficulty getting past Rochus/Soderling than Federer.

GlennMirnyi

10-15-2006, 08:54 PM

When someone says Ancic is a weak player indoors I feel pain, I do.

DrJules

10-15-2006, 08:55 PM

No way. Federer's is the easiest.

Nalbandian seems out of form and lacking interest

Baghadatis not played and returning from injury

Blake and Safin are all top hard court players yes in form.

Ancic return from injury seems successful and capable power player

Robredo home player although of questionable ability

Ferrero former winner and had good results recently.

Feel little difference between quarters.

Jimnik

10-15-2006, 09:00 PM

Feel little difference between quarters.
What good results has JCF had recently?

Nalbandian and Baghdatis don't need to be on form to play well. They automatically play well for the big events.

NYCtennisfan

10-15-2006, 09:05 PM

Indeed. I don't think the croud will make much of a difference but JCF certainly knows how to play the big guns. He'll probably have more difficulty getting past Rochus/Soderling than Federer.

:confused: :confused:

He will have a tough time getting past Rochus or Soderling, but if he beats Federer it will be one of the biggest upsets of the year.

DrJules

10-15-2006, 09:09 PM

What good results has JCF had recently?

Nalbandian and Baghdatis don't need to be on form to play well. They automatically play well for the big events.

Master series final Cincinnati

Nalbandian and Baghdatis don't need to be on form to play well - it usually helps.

Jimnik

10-15-2006, 09:09 PM

:confused: :confused:

He will have a tough time getting past Rochus or Soderling, but if he beats Federer it will be one of the biggest upsets of the year.
Off course it will. But on current form, he's unlikely to make it past Rochus or Soderling. Both have already given him difficulty this year, but he got lucky. Rochus almost beat him in Hamburg, but he choked. Soderling could have won in Cincy, but he was injured.

JCF is on a 4 match losing streak right now and he's lost his last 3 matches in Madrid.

Jimnik

10-15-2006, 09:11 PM

Master series final Cincinnati
That was two months ago, and it was his only good result of the year.

Sjengster

10-15-2006, 09:19 PM

Off course it will. But on current form, he's unlikely to make it past Rochus or Soderling. Both have already given him difficulty this year, but he got lucky. Rochus almost beat him in Hamburg, but he choked. Soderling could have won in Cincy, but he was injured.

JCF is on a 4 match losing streak right now and he's lost his last 3 matches in Madrid.

About Ginepri, he must be thinking this tournament is in the States. He has good results in here, including a semi final last year!It's the metrosexual vs the omnisexual :p

Feli watch out! :eek:

http://img177.imageshack.us/img177/4909/flrgjz5.jpg

seriously, it could go either way, depending on which F-Lo and which Robby show up... but I dare Robby to win and meet with Ancic, because they've never played each other before, and I'm sure Mario will be ready for whoever he meets...

Adler

10-15-2006, 09:47 PM

Federer is sitting in front of PC an laughing. His first medium problem is Ancic (?) in 3R, then Blake in the semis

Nadal for sure doesn't have a cakewalk draw, but it's not that bad. First serious test is Roddick, I don't believe Haas will do any harm to him. Of course if he survives Hrbaty/Monfils, which is questionable

Most interesting 1R match : Gasquet-Nieminen

dylan24

10-15-2006, 10:48 PM

repeat of us open final
federer over roddick

Merton

10-16-2006, 12:47 AM

This is very surprising, it seems there are no conspiracy theories this time.

nobama

10-16-2006, 01:16 AM

This is very surprising, it seems there are no conspiracy theories this time.You don't get them at the TMS events. Only the slams whe the consipracy brigade comes out claiming the draw was rigged to benefit Nadal. But I agree with what some have said. To me this is a normal draw for a TMS event. There are no easy draws in TMS events.

KaxMisha

10-17-2006, 11:52 PM

Any player at national level could rally forehands with Gonzo.
The only time the Gonzalez forehand is dangerous is when he has 2 years to line it up. And not even the utterly crap Roddick will give him that luxury.

A good test of a player's ability to hit forehands is to pit them against Nadal. Who will show you every angle, depth and spin. while pressuring you to paint the lines.

The facts are, Ivan has a horribly unatheltic build and movement style, which shows in his preparation for the forehand. Especially important against Nadal.
Watch him continuosly try to hit attacking forehands across his body with an open stance. He doesn't make a single forehand winner against Nadal.

He will never be a "good" player.
There are far too many pieces missing from the puzzle to earn him compliments from important figures.

He's made the most of his height and camps quietly on the backhand side.
The reason he "finds a way to lose matches" is because he's a player who throws everything he has at his opponent at the get go.
Once the rhythm for returning serve has sinked into his opponent, he has no choice but to pray that he doesn't have to hit a forehand for the remainder of the match.

What a load of crap. I guess the forehand he hits down the line against Nalbandian in the clip in the URL below is weak, right? And I guess it's an optical illusion when he steps around on the backhand side to hit that second forehand, right?

Tim, is this any way to repay someone’s hospitality? Sure – just ask Goran Ivanisevic. Wimbledon organizers gave the Croatian a wildcard for the 2001 Championships by beating the two top British contenders on his way to the title – he defeated Greg Rusedski in the fourth round before taking out Tim Henman in a wild five-set semifinal that rain extended over three days.

Henman, given a wildcard into Madrid, took out local boy Fernando Verdasco in the first round and then followed up by defeating another Spaniard, David Ferrer.

Martina, does the participation of home stars really boost an event? In Switzerland, not too much. In September, tickets for the Switzerland vs. Serbia Davis Cup tie in Geneva were moving slowly even though Roger Federer was on the program. Last week, ticket sales in Zurich fell about 10% below target despite the presence of two top-10 Swiss players in Martina Hingis and Patty Schnyder.

“The 'Hingis effect' didn’t prove itself,” said tournament director Beat Ritschard, who had already been considering downgrading the event or moving it to another city.

Andy, do you want to take a stab at next week’s lottery numbers too? On this form, why not? Having served three lets in a row against Tomas Berdych in Madrid, Roddick bet umpire Carlos Bernardes $100 that he could serve a fourth. And sure enough, his fourth serve brushed the net and dropped in. It’s not known whether he managed to collect.

Still, a humorless official could have ended up putting Roddick in the red– a $100,000 fine is one of the penalties for players caught betting on matches. Roddick did at least make sure he followed the letter of the law on another front: with little hope of winning the match once he hurt his ankle during the match, he played on till the end – but not before consulting with the supervisor to make sure he wouldn’t be fined for lack of effort.

Tomas, was it a bit of an emotional week for you? The pictures say it all. http://www.tennis.com/uploadedImages/Editorial/General/2006_10_22_Berdychstrip3_article.jpg

Can your surroundings affect your mood? It's not exactly scientific evidence, but the electic décor at one of Madrid’s player hotels coincided with an unusual level of crankiness among the players. Even before shushing the partisan Madrid crowd, Berdych betrayed some testiness by mimicking Rafael Nadal’s victory jog during the last game of the match. Nadal then not only called Berdych “very bad” at the net, but dredged up old grievances, saying, “I said that because in Toronto I didn't say anything, but he was constantly giving bad looks and nasty looks to the opponent. At that time it was not good. And today during the match it happened again constantly… I wasn't about to say anything during the match. But maybe the last thing he did with his finger was out of place.”

David Nalbandian has been on a trash-talking spree since the beginning of the fall, taunting the Australian team at Davis Cup and brashly predicting victory against Russia when he played in Vienna two weeks ago. In Madrid, he made some dodgy requests for Hawkeye replays and was AWOL from his ATP blog after just two curt entries. After he and Tim Henman sparred verbally on court during their third-round match, Nalbandian questioned Henman’s sportsmanship. Henman responded with, "I think if we're going to go down that road, there's only one winner in that debate."

David Ferrer described losing to Henman as the worst day of his career. Juan Carlos Ferrero was glum after losing in the second round and almost being moved to the second court for his match. “I knew they wanted to change my match court because of the delay, but that doesn't matter right now. Of course I'm disappointed. I cannot be happy with myself… My mood is low right now.” And so it went.

Meanwhile, the hotel rooms had certainly struck players as something to write home about. Jonas Bjorkman: “One floor is all white, another all red, a third pitch black (they say that even the toilet paper is black)... My room is all white, with a round bed and swirling shapes. Feels like I am staying in Antarctica...” Nalbandian: “The hotel we are staying is a bit crazy. The rooms on my floor are all white, while I don't really have a problem with that I have been told that some rooms are all black and this could be a problem in waking up.”

Imagine what the week would have been like if Nalbandian had been put on the red floor.

Maria, what’s a sign that the withdrawals on tour are really getting out of hand? When players have to make announcements not when they pull out, but when they don’t pull out. Linz had already named Maria Sharapova as one of the players taking part when it originally announced the field. So when Sharapova’s website a couple of weeks ago said she would be playing the event, it shouldn’t have been news. But in the current climate of uncertainty, it made headlines in Austria.

Gael, does the irony soothe the pain? Probably not. Gael Monfils leapt in vain pursuit of an unreachable shot from Dominik Hrbaty in the first round of Madrid, and came down hard on his right ankle. He was taken off court in a wheelchair and will be out for at least four weeks.

The ironic part? The match was his comeback from a left foot injury suffered at the US Open.

James, don’t they teach math at Harvard? You wouldn’t guess it. Former Harvard player James Blake won Stockholm two weeks ago, leaving him depleted for Madrid, where he lost in the first round. He said that if he had to do it again, he would – being able to defend a title for the first time was worth it.

But by the numbers, it didn’t make much sense. Blake’s net gain from Stockholm was 70 ranking points, compared to the 75 points he would have got for winning just one match in Madrid. What’s more, the early loss in Madrid seriously hurt his chances of qualifying for the season-ending Masters Cup in Shanghai, where winning just one match is worth 100 points.

Boris, what’s the secret of a happy retirement? Don’t take advice from the wrong people. Boris Becker hasn’t exactly faded into the sunset after retiring from tennis, making frequent appearances in the tabloids after failed business ventures, tax problems, romantic liaisons and an unplanned child with a Russian model.

He predicted that retirement would also be an adjustment for his fellow German sporting legend Michael Schumacher, who retired after the Formula One race in Brazil over the weekend. “Over the next six months or so he will ask himself many times if he made the right decision or not,” said Becker, who was working for a German TV station at the race. "I don't know a single sportsman who made the transition smoothly."

artlinkletter

10-26-2006, 10:00 PM

Fun article. The Andy-serving incident was really funny. Especially when he got happy because he made Ramos smile. Why would Ferrer consider his loss to Henman the worst ever? Was it really that bad? Overall, the tournament was highly eventful. Why